Smart cars model 451 (2007-2008)

pbilbao

I've been reading in some Smart car forums in the UK and in N. America that the Polk DB651 speakers are one of the best choices for replacing the original speakers that come with the Smart 451 model. Apparently this is so mainly because of its size (6.5" and less than 60 mm in depth), etc. But I was wondering if there could be another model besides this one.

Dennis Gardner

Welcome to ClubPolk! I have to ask the question though......why would you want real speakers in a fake car?

Airplay355

Why are they fake cars? Have you ever driven one? I have and if you live in a crowded city they definitely have their advantages. They are meant to be a commuter car which is cheap and gets good gas mileage.

Kinetic

civics had the same issue

i think the infinitys also should fit there, but also the MOMOs and maybe the SRs but with some cut out

bobman1235

(sorry to threadjack)

Smart cars are cool for the compactness of them if you're trying to park in a city and whatnot, but considering how ridiculously small they are I don't find the gas mileage all that impressive. They claim 33/41 MPG. A standard Civic does better than that, has more horsepower, a back seat, looks normal, etc etc. I mean, you're driving a clown car, I'd expect to get 60MPG in exchange for self humiliation.

Dennis Gardner

Clown car/fake car, I'm glad I don't live in a city with enough traffic to warrant the need for one. Oilfield frac tanks on dirt roads would hardly consider one a speed bump.

okiepolkie

Dennis Gardner wrote: »

Clown car/fake car, I'm glad I don't live in a city with enough traffic to warrant the need for one. Oilfield frac tanks on dirt roads would hardly consider one a speed bump.

You mean northwest Oklahoma isn't jam packed with cars?

Dennis Gardner

okiepolkie wrote: »

You mean northwest Oklahoma isn't jam packed with cars?

I did pass 2 vehicles today in 130 miles of driving.........you know the routine, I had to follow a workover rig moving 35-40mph for 10 miles in the rain, only to get slowed down after passing it by giant wind turbine propellors in route. Traffic is a b*tch.;)

okiepolkie

Dennis Gardner wrote: »

I did pass 2 cars today in 130 miles of driving.........you know the routine, I had to follow a workover rig moving 35-40mph for 10 miles in the rain, only to get slowed down after passing it by giant wind turbine propellors in route. Traffic is a b*tch.;)

Same type of thing here. I'm working on an 8000 sq ft lake house in the boonies 30 miles south of me. Distributed audio/video downstairs, and very nice dedicated theater upstairs......anyway, I keep getting behind combines and tractors going to and from cotton and bean fields.

I'll be back in OK some time next month. I'll let you know when do come. I'll be doing a dist audio system while I'm there, so you can come help if you want

Dennis Gardner

Give me a call when you're in state. I would be glad to help if you need it. I'd trade it for help running a 200 ft snake overhead and hanging 3 pjs in a sanctuary remodel?

Airplay355

I can see why you wouldn't want one living in OK, but in large cities they aren't that bad. You guys are right though, 33/41 mpg isn't all that impressive.

Thom

He doesn't say where he's from, but he refers to the depth of the speakers in mm, so my guess is that he's not in the US. Which also means that his Smart will get about double the mileage of the US Smarts. If it's a diesel.

As far as other speakers, we make several 6.5" models but the db is probably your best bet if you're planning on running them off the OEM radio. The db651 is a coax model, and we also have a component version (db6501). So if you're up for more work you can mount the tweeters wherever you prefer. The new Mobile Monitor series might work as well (MM651, MM6501).

bikezappa

[QUOTE=bobman1235;936769 They claim 33/41 MPG. A standard Civic does better than that, has more horsepower, a back seat, looks normal, etc etc. I mean, you're driving a clown car, I'd expect to get 60MPG in exchange for self humiliation.[/QUOTE]

I have a 56 VW bug that gets over 30 MPG in the city and it has a back seat and a max speed of 65 MPH on level ground. I can fix anything on this simply designed car.

Kex

bobman1235 wrote: »

... They claim 33/41 MPG. A standard Civic does better than that ...

Actually, a standard Civic claims 26/34 for the manual, and 25/36 for the automatic. If you're getting 33 city, that's not half bad IMO, especially if that's true for stop-go L.A. driving downtown in the morning/evening commute.

The lack of a back seat almost killed the Smart when it launched though: if a second car is the intended usage, you cannot even drop the kids off at school ...

bobman1235

Kex wrote: »

If you're getting 33 city, that's not half bad IMO, especially if that's true for stop-go L.A. driving downtown in the morning/evening commute.

Oh it's a great mileage, I never said it was crappy, but the tradeoffs of driving a boxed in golf cart don't seem worth an extra 4 MPG to me. Especially knowing that we have the capabilities to do a lot better. Hell my uncle owned a Geo Metro probably 12 years ago that got in the 40's. That was kind of a clown car too but still more reasonable to drive than a Smart.